Santos says Colombia to deepen relationship with US after Trump victory

The President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, during a civic and business meeting in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Thursday, November 3, 2016. PA via AP Niall Carson

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said the Andean country will deepen relations with the United States following the victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump in Tuesday’s presidential election.

“We celebrate the democratic spirit of the United States. In #ElectionNight. With Donald Trump we will continue to deepen bilateral relations, “the Colombian president wrote in his Twitter account.

The Republican tycoon won in yesterday’s election by obtaining at least 276 electoral votes, six more than the required 270 minimum, compared to 218 of his Democratic rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Colombia is the main ally of the United States in the region and the government has always stated that this relationship is above partisan interests.

“Colombia has had the privilege of having bipartisan support for many years,” Santos said in an interview with Efe on October 27 when asked about a possible Trump victory in the elections.

Santos then recalled that Plan Colombia against drug trafficking, which it considered “the perhaps most successful initiative of US foreign policy in recent times, was a bipartisan policy.”

“All the presidents have been in charge to reap this bipartisan support, we have this bipartisan support today and I hope that the president maintains that bipartisan support,” Santos said.